To the Parents of Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay

Some will ask why I keep going on about those who leave and those who stay. Well, I believe it is one of the most discussed subjects in our country today, as a result of the serious national crisis we are living through.

I was surprised by the number of emails I received about the articles “To the Young People Who Are Leaving” and “To the Young People Who Are Staying.” Around 90% or more mentioned the word crime (both those who leave and those who stay). And I was deeply struck that all the personal messages I received (more than a hundred) spoke of mother, father, grandparents and home… with such emotion that I shed quite a few tears.

My goodness, how many Venezuelans are excellent writers, experts at conveying emotion, and with excellent spelling besides! So, parents and grandparents, the first thing I tell you is that you have children and grandchildren who love you SO MUCH, and who know that without you they would not be who they are, nor where they are.

And they are very clear that you are the most important part of their roots. Among other things, they value the great sacrifice you have made, and still make, to educate them and give them a future; they deeply appreciate the values you instilled in them, which are vital for living here or anywhere; they are grateful for the exemplary love you have shown by giving yourselves to them and to others; and they are very clear that your homes are the privileged place for growing into people of integrity, secure and strong.

They also greatly admire the fortitude and serenity some of you have shown in the face of so many problems. Truly, how proud it makes me, as a Venezuelan, to know that so many young people respect and love their parents and grandparents with such passion, grounded in deeds!

We will never be “developed” when it comes to euthanasia, or what they politely call “dying well.” How dreadful! It is so beautiful to see how, from the time we are small, we are taught to look after and care for our grandparents, whatever state they are in.

So to those who have left: never stop doing what you can to visit your parents whenever possible, because even if they seem tough on the outside, on the inside their hearts are shrunken with longing, wanting you close so they can spoil you with a café con leche, or a pabellón (our national dish) and a cool glass of juice.

To the children who stay: spoil your parents and grandparents and enjoy them to the full. Support them with the strength and hope that characterize you. Thank God, given our custom of getting together to celebrate whatever comes along, it is very hard for a week to go by without our seeing our parents or grandparents, if we don’t already live all piled in together with them.

And now I say to the parents: do you know what is wonderful in life? Going to bed “squeezed dry like a lemon” because we are working hard to move our household forward, to raise our children as well as we can (and our grandchildren, if it falls to us), and to contribute whatever we can to building a better country for all.

That, which springs from what is truly deep, is what puts down roots; it is what strengthens the sowing with the best fertilizer. And that is what children and grandchildren value most, and what produces children who are unique “in the Venezuelan way,” who have faced with gallantry the hardships they have had to live through in this chapter of our history.

It is true that the parents and grandparents who are hard at work have more gray hair, wrinkles and love handles every day, but it is also true that every day they feel younger in spirit, because they too have learned to live like “all-terrain” kids. Just ask those beautiful old folks we see so often, whether praying in churches or at rallies, marches and polling stations.

So my message to all parents and grandparents is: Never throw in the towel! Hold on tight to God, so He gives you fortitude and the heart of a fifteen-year-old. Work hard to sow your faith and your values in your children and grandchildren, because that is the only thing that can truly change a country.

Besides, nowadays we have wonderful parenting courses online and everywhere else, so there is no excuse for not making the effort to raise the new generations well.

So that we can raise leaders who will rescue so many lost values! Leaders who live to serve and not to be served!

I know it is hard and it isn’t easy. There are too many things: the anxiety that the money won’t stretch for rent, food, medicine, school fees, supplies; the problem of transportation, the traffic, and so on and so forth. And the dreaded lack of safety, about which, truly, all that is left for us is to pray as never before in our lives.

And that is another wonderful thing about Venezuelan parents and grandparents today: we have had to put our beliefs into practice more. And since we have seen that it gives us peace and helps us live more happily, we have set out more fully to learn about the faith our parents or grandparents passed on to us, which we thought (when we lived without so many problems) was not so important.

Now we know it is “the most important thing,” because without it hope, joy, patience, forgiveness, solidarity and the rest are much harder.

So, parents and grandparents, whether we are forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety or a hundred, let us carry on with whatever strength our age and health allow, never “throwing in the towel,” even if we feel like throwing them all in and running away.

And if we don’t have our health, let us take the opportunity to offer that limitation to God, with joy, for our children, for our grandchildren and for a better future for our beloved Venezuela.

Truly, It’s Worth It! It’s worth spending ourselves and giving our lives for those we love most on this earth! It’s worth planting the tree with the best seed, and keeping it watered and fertilized for as long as we live, so that we may soon gather the best fruit, and so that many may enjoy its shade!